The Betta
This is Bret, the male Betta.
I found Bret at a local pet store in one of those little cups they are kept in (which I think is mean!). I couldn't really tell how pretty he was until I took him home and put him in his own two gallon tank. He is really gorgeous, and so much prettier and happier in a larger tank. I personally don't understand why bettas are kept in such small bowls. Even a goldfish bowl would be nice but they're kept in little "betta bowls" nowadays that only hold maybe two cups of water if you're lucky! The fish is unhappy in these, and you can tell cause they sit on the bottom and they're fins are all flat on their body. They do not need filtration, or air bubbles or anything like that, still water is fine, but they should have space to move, as any animal should.
As for his personality, I've never had a betta this agressive! He even threatens his food before he eats it! (Hence the sign pictured below him in the above picture LOL) And every time someone comes within site he puffs up in his threatening display...which is fine because it is also beautiful.
Bret has some glass fish in his tank. They are not for friendship, in fact at first he "chased" them. He also has silk plants instead of plastic because I didn't want to have his pretty fins get ripped.